Hotel Review: Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport

When I go to San Francisco, I stay usually around the airport and one of my favorite hotels here is the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport. Just a few minutes away from the airport and it can be reached by car without even going on the busy 101 Freeway.

This hotel just underwent an extensive remodeling phase for a few month. That’s also why I haven’t put a review up yet about this place. Finally, the main indoor atrium is open again and can be enjoyed by you. It’s really a one of a kind experience to have such a big open indoor area. The downside of this is, that they have indoor facing rooms, which don’t offer a really good view. From all the outside facing rooms, the once with a view of the bay are actually the best. You can watch the planes come into land at SFO.

The prices here can vary quite a bit and especially if there is any kind of convention going on in the area or at the hotel itself. A friend of mine visited the Supernatural Convention here last year in December.

When you stop at the main entrance, the valet will keep the keys to your car until you finished checking in. This is because it gets crowded here sometimes with shuttles and cars arriving all at the same time. In that case, they can move your car if they have to.

Check In

My check in experience here was always great. Most of the time I am the only one checking in or only have one person ahead of me. During the check-in process, I also had them add the self-parking fee to my hotel bill and got the keycard to enter and exit the nearby garage.

If you have luggage in your car, you should unload it now or get help from a Bellman with your luggage. The reason for this is the parking garage. The garage connects to the Atrium level of the hotel and also has an elevator. However, you have to step down a few stairs to get on the actual bridge connecting the parking garage with the hotel. I don’t get why they are not putting a ramp here at least for half of the width of the stairs. Of course, it would be best to replace the few steps completely with a ramp. That would allow hotel guests to unload their luggage in the parking garage and bring it over to the hotel.

My room was on the top floor, the same floor on which the Regency Club is located and even a small gym. There is a bigger one downstairs, next to the pool. More about that later.

2 Queen Bed Room

The room was not bad and also quite roomy. I wanted to try this room type here because I never had it before. If you don’t need the second bed, get a King Room. They are more spacious and you have a nice desk to work in the room. At least that’s my experience with the rooms up on the 9th floor.

My room was facing south and I could see the freeway and the other hotels in that direction. Not a very scenic view, but I rather have this view than one of the atrium.

The beds at Hyatt are always super comfortable, at least for me. I never had any issues and love sleeping in them. The bathroom is located just after you enter the room and it’s spacious enough. Adjacent to the bathroom is the closet with storage for your stuff and the coffee maker as well as a brand new safe which got installed during my stay.

King Business Suite (Room 2112)

On a separate one night stay, I got upgraded to a Business Suite thanks to my World of Hyatt Globalist status. The suite is facing inside towards the atrium and offers a lot of space. One of the best features of the suite is, that you can connect it with one or two of the neighboring rooms if necessary. This gives you the ultimate space if needed but also for a higher price. The King Bed is separated from the rest of the room by a wall with an entrance on either side but no doors. In the living area is a nice corner sofa and one piece can be set up as an additional bed if needed.

There are two good flatscreen TVs, one in the living area and another one in the bedroom. Other than that, it has the same features as the other room. A nice work desk/table with tempered glass. A refrigerator is hidden in the closet right behind the table. On top are the coffee maker and two bottles of water which are complimentary for World of Hyatt Explorist, Discoverist, and Globalist members.

The bathroom has the same descent size as in the other rooms. With a nice walk-in shower. The main close next to the room door has lots of storage space as well as an ironing board, iron and a safe. I really liked that suite, if it would only have a bay-view of the outside rather than the atrium view This would be perfect to watch planes land at SFO.

Public Areas at the Hyatt Regency

Of course one of the main public areas at the Hyatt Regency is the big and tall Atrium. Right beneath it is a huge ballroom for meetings and conferences. The Atrium features a restaurant and a market as well as several places to sit down and relax. At the lobby level, one level below, you will find a good sized gift shop with a huge variety of items. Everything from souvenirs to snacks and drinks. They even have luggage if yours broke on your way here. You can do room charge if you want. Right outside of the gift shop is the concierge desk if you need any help booking a tour or any information about what to do.

The concierge can also help you to set up a free trolley ride to Downtown Burlingame. This gives you more access to shops and restaurants. Great if you want to go out and have a drink. You don’t need to drive and have to worry about a DUI.

At the same level but the other end of the Hyatt Regency is the Fitness Center and a well sized heated outdoor pool and whirlpool. The fitness center has a view of the pool. You need your room key to access both of these areas.

Dining at the Hyatt Regency

The newly remodeled Atrium houses the 3SIXTY Bar, Bistro, and Market. The Market is a great option for a quick grab in the morning or anytime during the day if you need a snack.

For dining on delicious and creative cuisine visit the 3SIXTY Bistro. They have a good choice of dishes. The Bistro is a great option for a nice dinner after a long day of meetings or exploring in the city.

For a more social environment, visit the 3SIXTY Bar. Great to hang out with friends or co-workers after a long day and have some drinks.

As a Hyatt Goldpassport Diamond member (soon to be rebranded as World of Hyatt) you get access to the Regency Club on the top floor. If you are not a Diamond member you can buy a “Club Rate” for your room, which will also grant you access. The clubs are one of the features I love most about Hyatt. No matter if it’s the Regency Club, Grand Club, … you get great free breakfast here, some snacks in the afternoon and a nice and light dinner, which changes every day. After dinner, you can come here for some good and tasty deserts. The best of all is, everything is free and you can enjoy as much as you want. One of my favorite features here is the “fancy” coffee machine. I love coffee and the machine makes really good coffee. Much better than the instant brew in the guest rooms. The Regency Club has a small workstation to check your flights or print tickets and other documents. This is another great convenience all Hyatt Clubs have, at least all of the once I visited so far.